Traction footboard



Feb. 20, 1962 F. E. NEWELL TRACTION FOOTBOARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 12, 1958 F/oro //e/7 Vewe// ATTORNEY Feb. 20, 1962 F. E. NEWELL TRACTION FOOTBOARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 12, 1958 F/ora E//e/7 Newefl ATTORNEY 3,921,837 TRACTIGN FGGTBGARD Flora Ellen Newell, Mobile, Ala, assignor to Madeline N. Brown and J. Allan Brown Filed May 12, 1953, der. No. 734,516 1i Claims. (Cl. 128-71) This invention relates to traction devices of the type used in supporting the feet and adjacent body parts of bed patients.

A principal object of the invention is to provide apparatus for adequately supporting the feet or limbs of bed patients.

Another object of the invention is to provide such apparatus which is firmly supportable in place on a bed, particularly a hospital bed, and which may be made to be adjustable.

A further object of the invention is to provide such apparatus which is simple in form, easy to make and use, and yet which is entirely dependable and adaptable in use depending on the requirements therefor.

The invention, in essence, consists of a fully supported adjustable foot pad or board for use in supporting the feet and/ or legs of bed patients. The support may be attached or immobilized support, or may be unattached or free support depending on the necessity for support of the patient. The invention presents the advantages of simplicity and ease of use, as well as being entirely satisfactory in use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the apparatus afforded thereby, reference being made to the accompanying drawings showing such preferred embodiment, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one preferred form of the apparatus, of wood construction, showing the apparatus in one of its uses;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section through the showing of FIGURE 1, the vertical section being taken at a vertical plane longitudinally (from head to foot) of the bed on which the apparatus is mounted, and at the lateral center (from side to side) of the bed;

FIGURE 3 is a partial elevation of the apparatus of FIGURES 1 and 2, taken at line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section similar to FIGURE 2, showing a preferred form of the apparatus of metal construction;

FIGURE 5 is a partial vertical section taken at line 5-5 of FIGURE 4; and,

FIGURE 6 is a partial vertical section taken at line 66 of FIGURE 4.

Referring first to FIGURES 1-3 of the drawings, which show a preferred form of apparatus of wood construction, the apparatus is used in conjunction with a bed 10, usually a hospital bed, which may be of any suitable form. Bed 10 includes side runner members 11 for supporting a plurality of slats 12, the slats being disposed crosswise of the bed. A bedspring 13, which may be a box spring or other spring form, is supported upon slats 12, and a mattress 14 of any suitable form is disposed upon the bedspring, as is usual. The bed 10 also may include a footend rail 15 extending above the upper surface of the mattress at the foot of the bed.

The traction device includes a fiat rectangular cross member 21 which is sandwiched between spring 13 and mattress 14 usually at or near the foot of the bed. The length of member 21 is somewhat greater than the width of the spring and mattress, member 21 extending somewhat beyond the two sides of the spring and mattress. Two side members 22, 23 extend substantially vertically upwardly from the ends of member 21, one side member 3,.WL837 Fatented Feb. 20, 1362 ire at each end of member 21, to the desired distance above the upper surface of mattress 14, the distance being greater than the length of a human foot 25. End members 22, 23 are affixed in any suitable manner to the ends of member 21, e.g. by nails, screws, glue, etc. An alternate connec tion of the end members to the cross member is shown in FIGURE 3, where end member 22 is shown connected to cross member 21 by a hinge or hinges 26 so that end member 22 may be folded or moved pivotally down over the end of cross member 21.

A cross brace 27 extends between the upper parts of end members 22, 23, at the sides thereof toward the foot of the bed. Brace 27 is connected to each of the end members by a perforate angle bracket 28 which is screwed to the end member and removably bolted to a perforate end of the brace by a bolt and wingnut assembly 29. Thus, the brace 27 may be removed by unscrewing wingnuts at each of its ends so that, when hinges 26 are provided, the assembly of end members 22, 23 and cross member 21 may be folded up.

Each end member 22, 23 has suitably affixed at its inner face, the surface thereof facing the mattress, a plurality of shaped pieces of wood 30, these being formed and arranged to provide one or more vertically disposed grooves or slots 31 and/or one or more angular or nonvertical grooves or slots 32. The pi ces 30 are cut from flat boards, as will be apparent, and their particular shape is alterable at will to make the grooves 31, 32 as desired. However, the pieces 30 of each end member 22, 23, should correspond so that the grooves 31, 32 match across the bed. That is, for each groove at the inner surface of end member 22, there should be a corresponding mirror image groove at the inner surface of end member 23 so the grooves of the two end members are matched.

A rectangular footboard 34, of a length to engage at its ends in matched opposite grooves of end members 22, 23, and of a width usually somewhat less than the extensions of end members 22, 23 above the upper mattress surface, and in addition usually greater than the length of a human foot 25, is received within matched opposite grooves of the two end members. The footboard extends crosswise of the bed, and in either a vertical or angular position, depending on whether its ends are received in matched vertical or angular grooves of the end members. The footboard may be inserted and removed edgewise at the upper ends of the grooves. It will be apparent that the footboard may be placed interchangeably at any vertical or angular position across the bed coincident with the particular grooves 31, 32 provided.

Footboard 34, whether disposed in vertical or angular slots, is supported vertically by the upper surface of mattress 14. Thus the mattress 14 is clamped between footboard 34 and cross member 21, the weight of footboard 34 being sufficient to hold the apparatus in place longitudinally of the mattress and to cause resistance to movements of the apparatus longitudinally of the mattress unless footboard 34 is raised upwardly in the grooves. Friction between cross member 21 and mattress 14 and spring 13 also resists such movements of apparatus 20.

Footboard 34 is provided with a plurality of slots 36 and/ or holes 37 therethrough by means of which foot 25 may be strapped to footboard 34 by elastic tapes or bandages and/or may be tied to footboard 34 by elastic or non-elastic cords 39. The tapes, bandages or cords may, of course extend to other body parts for securing the body parts in relation to the foot-board, as will be obvious. A pad 41%, or equivalent means, may be placed over the surface of footboard 34 to protect and provide comfort forthe patients feet. Bed covers 41 may be placed over the feet and device 20 for warmth of the patient, and it is apparent that the bed cover may '3 be placed to shroud the feet and device, the device then preventing the bed covers from weighing upon the feet and causing discomfort to the patient.

The members 21, 22, 23, 27, 30 and 34 are made of wood in the preferred embodiment, but it is contemplated that one-piece or multi-piece structures for each may be realized from other materials, including plastics, composition materials, and the like.

Referring now to FIGURES 4-6, there is shown an embodiment of the invention of alternative preferred structure wherein the parts of the traction device are made of metal. The bed 10, including side runners 11, slats '12, bedsprings 13, mattress 14, and end rail 15, are the same as were shown in conjunction with the FIG- URES 1-3 embodiment, and are therefore referred to by like reference numerals.

The metal structure includes flat rectangular cross member 56, two vertically disposed rectangular end mem' bers of which only one, end member 51, is shown in the drawings, brace 52, and foot panel 53, these structural elements corresponding respectively to elements 21, 22 and 23, 27 and 34 of the FIGURE 1-3 embodiment.

Cross member 50 is made as a closed structure for strength, the relatively thin upper and lower metal plates 50a, 50b thereof being joined at their ends and sides by narrow plates 59c and slid respectively. loinder of these parts may be accomplished in any suitable manner, as by welding, brazing or bolting, and adjacent parts may be integrally formed by bending a flat metal sheet to achieve the desired structure.

End elements 51 and foot panel 53 are given added strength by the provision of edge flanges 55, usually made by bending a flat metal sheet. Flanges 55 may be welded or brazed onto the members. Additional flanges or ribs may be added to the structure as desired to provide additional strength at other areas, as will be obvious to one skilled in the art.

Brace 52 is a hat elongate metal bar or sheet having erforations near its ends through which it is bolted to each of the end members 51. A perforate bracket member 53 of flat web shape is carried on the edge of the flange 55 at the vertical edge toward the foot of the bed of each end member 51, and a bolt and wingnut assembly '59 is inserted through the perforation at an end of brace 52 and through the bracket member perforation to secure the brace to each end member.

An upper connection bar 51 and a lower connection bar 62 are bolted to the inner surface of each end member 51. Bars 61, 62 fit between the vertical side flanges 55 of each end member, as is clearly shown in the drawings. Each end member has perforations through which bars 61, 62 are bolted thereto, these perforations being located 'so that each bar is supported ateach of its ends in a substantially horizontal position. Each end of each bar 61, 62 has a vertical slot 63 therethrough to receive a bolt 64 for making this connection, and the slots enable the bar ends to be adjusted upwardly and downwardly the length of the slots. Each bar 61, 62 has a plurality of spaced perforations 65 therethrough spaced between the end slots 63 thereof.

Foot panel 53, has at each end, a pair of spaced bolt holes 66 through the flange '5, the holes 66 being spaced to register with a perforation 65 of bar 61 and with a perforation 65 of bar 62. Two bolts 67 are each received through a hole of bar 61 or 62 and through one of the holes 56, and nuts as are screwed thereunto to tighten the foot panel to the connection bars at each end. The perforations 55 of the two bars of each end member are vertically matched, so that the foot panel maybe fixed vertically in several positions longitudinally of bed 10. Foot panel 53 may also be fixed in angular or diagonal disposition by loosening one or more bolts 54 to lbo'se'n the cb'nnection bars, and then "bolting foot panel 53 at each of its ends to the connection bars through holes 65 thereof which are out of vertical alignment; and then re-tightening the bolts 64.

Cross member 59 is sandwiched between the mattress IA- and spring 13 near the foot of the bed, the cross member extending somewhat beyond the sides of the spring and mattress. Bar 62 is disposed slightly above the upper surface of the mattress, and bar 61 is spaced above bar 62 to connect to the upper end of the foot panel. One or more perforate metal angles 69 are bolted to each end member 51 through vertical slot or slots 70 through each end member below the bar 62 thereof. Since the lower edge of foot panel 53 does not rest on the mattress to hold the apparatus in place, the angles 69 are provided to perform this function. The horizontal web of each angle 69 extends to above a side of the mattress, and is pressed down against the upper mattress surface and bolted tightly to the end member at its vertical web so that the mattress is clamped between member 50 and the angle and the traction device is firmly held against movement longitudinally of the bed.

Foot panel 53 has slots 72 and holes 73 therethrough analogous to slots 36 and holes 37 of the FIGURE 1-3 embodiment. Pad 49 may also be used in conjunction with foot panel 53.

It will be apparent that some of the structural features of each embodiment may be used in the other embodiment. A metal foot panel 53 may be used with the wooden end and cross members of FIGURES 1-3. Other interchanged structures are obvious. Other suitable interchanged structures are obvious. Other suitable materials for structural parts may be substituted for the metal and wood structures herein described.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, many modifications thereof may be made by a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to protect by Letters Patent all forms of the invention falling within the scope of the following claims:

1. In combination with a bed having springs and a mattress supported on said springs, a traction footboard device comprising a cross member of flat form having substantially parallel ends and disposed between said springs and mattress of said bed with an end thereof to each side of said bed, a pair of vertical members each of flat form each carried at an end of said cross member and each extending upwardly parallel to a side of said mattress to above said mattress, connection means at the side of each said vertical member facing said bed, footboard means having substantially parallel ends and disposed between said connection means at opposite sides of said bed with said ends engaging said connection means, and means firmly securing said device against movements longitudinally of the mattress.

2. The combination of claim 1, said connection means each having a plurality of positions of attachment with the ends of said footboard means, whereby the disposition ofsaicl footboard means relative said bed is adjustable.

3. In combination with a bed having springs and a mattress supported on said springs, a traction footboard device, comprising a cross member of fiat form having parallel ends and disposed between said springs and mattress of said bed, a pair of vertical members each of fiat form each carried at an end of said cross member and each extending upwardly parallel to a side of said mattress to above the mattress, connection means at the side of each said vertical member facing said bed, footboard means disposed between said connection means at opposite sides of said bed, said connection means each havinga plurality of positions of attachment with the ends of said footboard means whereby the disposition of said footboard-means relative said bed is adjustable, brace means extending between upper parts of said two vertical members, and means firmly securing said device against movernentslongitudinally of said mattress.

4. The combination of claim 3, said footboard means including a plurality of perforations therethrough whereby objects, including body parts, may readily be secured thereto.

5. The combination of claim 4, including releasable connections to said vertical members at each end of said brace means, and including hinge means connecting each of said vertical members to an end of said cross member, whereby said brace means may be removed and said vertical members may be pivotally moved about said hinge means to positions flush against said cross member when said cross member is removed from between said springs and mattress of said bed.

6. The combination of claim 5, said connection means at the side of each said vertical member facing said bed each comprising slots each slidably receiving an end of said footboard means, and said means securing said device against longitudinal movement comprising a clamp means including said cross member and said footboard means biased theretoward by gravity to engage the mattress.

7. The combination of claim 6, said cross member, vertical members and brace being fabricated of wood.

8. The combination of claim 4, said connection means at the side of each said vertical member facing the bed each comprising a pair of vertically spaced horizontal members carried at the side of the vertical member toward the bed, said device including releasable means connecting each end of said footboard means to each horizontal member of a said pair of horizontal members.

9. The combination of claim 8, including means movably connecting each said pair of horizontal members to a said vertical member, said horizontal members each having a plurality of horizontally spaced perforations, said releaseable footboard connection means each comprising a perforation through an end of said footboard and a bolt extending therethrough and through a said perforation of a horizontal member, whereby said footboard may be disposed vertically or obliquely above the mattress; said device also including means movably mounted vertically to each said vertical member clamping said mattress against said cross member, whereby said device is secured against movement longitudinally of said mattress.

10. The combination of claim 9, said device being fabricated of metal.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 828,221 Langel Aug. 7, 1906 1,399,837 Wood Dec. 13, 1921 2,827,046 Hewell Mar. 18, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,498 Great Britain 1910--Nov. 23, 1911 

